The death toll from dengue in Bangladesh reached 303 on Saturday as 10 more deaths were reported from the mosquito-borne disease in the last 24 hours till the morning.
During the period, 2,495 more patients were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Of the new patients, 1,069 were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it, the DGHS said.
A total of 9,334 dengue patients, including 4,680 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
So far, the DGHS has recorded 63,968 dengue cases and 54,331 recoveries.
On August 3, Bangladesh recorded 283 deaths from the mosquito-borne dengue disease, which is the highest in 23 years. In comparison, the country had logged 281 dengue-related deaths in 2022, followed by 179 fatalities registered in 2019.
The first case of dengue in Bangladesh was recorded in 2000. That year, 93 people died of dengue and 5,551 people were admitted to the hospitals.
This year, the outbreak of dengue is proving to be the most severe in the recorded history of Bangladesh.
BSMMU to take initiative to research dengue vaccine
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) will take an initiative to research for dengue vaccine, Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Sharfuddin Ahmed said on Saturday, reports UNB.
“There is no work on dengue in our country throughout the year. BSMMU is the best place to do any work and research in the field of health care. Here we will do dengue research. BSMMU doctors will also work shoulder to shoulder with the Dengue Prevention Committee,” he said.
“We will take the initiative to research and prepare a dengue vaccine at BSMMU. In this regard, the Virology Department of our university has been asked to start work at the earliest,” Sharfuddin said.
The BSMMU VC was speaking after the Dengue Prevention Committee-2023 was formed with the VC as chairman and Assistant Professor Taufiq Ahmed as member secretary of the committee.
The committee was announced at a function held at the VC’s conference room of BSMMU. The event was organised by Chai, an anti-dengue social movement.
The committee includes Jatiya Sangsad Deputy Speaker Shamsul Hoque Tuku as chief adviser, State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain as special adviser and Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof ABM Khurshid Alam as adviser.
